Living Lean

Updated June 11, 2002 12:01 a.m. ET

RE: ("Lean Times: The Surprising Rise Of Radical, Calorie-Cutting Diet") The really important factor is exercise not caloric intake. If you ever saw those rats in their cages you would have noticed that the underfed rats are very active, probably in their quest for food, while the fully fed rats slept most of the time. Exercise improves the response of arterioles to muscle demand for more blood. This lowers the risk of transient spikes in blood pressure which intern decreases damage to arteries and the formation of...